1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a manual tube constriction valve with a position indicator. A valve of this type can be used in particular for single-use tubes, for example in the foodstuffs and beverage industry, biotechnology, the chemical industry or the pharmaceutical industry.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tube constriction valves are known in many different variants. Disposable tubes are used increasingly for tube lines in the area of laboratory technology, the foodstuffs and beverage industry, the chemical industry, biotechnology or pharmaceutical product research or manufacture in order to save on cleaning costs or also to guarantee sterility. A valve which is easy to handle and operates in a reliable manner is necessary for these types of tubes.
AT 376 025 B makes known a tube constriction valve which, by means of an electromagnetically actuatable clamping bolt, closes the tube which is situated in a longitudinal groove. A disadvantage in this case is that it is not precisely visible when the tube flow is blocked. Consequently, it is necessary to squeeze the tube very strongly, which can lead to damage to the tube or even to the valve or where the closing is incomplete results in a lack of reliability in the processing sequence.
DE 10 2007 002 765 B3 makes known a constriction valve which has electrically actuatable positional detecting means, as a result of which the operating position of impinging means can be detected. In this connection, it has proven disadvantageous that said valve is not suitable for disposable tubes or single-use systems. The tube which is squeezed for closing is incorporated into the valve and can only be changed within the framework of maintenance work. Consequently, the valve is product-based and not suitable for single-use on account of the high costs. In addition, said constriction valve is designed in a complicated manner and consists of many elements.
Consequently, the object underlying the invention is to develop a tube constriction valve with an approximation sensor which is simple to handle and at the same time guarantees a high level of processing reliability.